Drawknife



Feb. 23, 1937. p v HA'YFORD 2,071,691

DRAWKN I F 13 Filed Feb. 1, 1936 I N VEN TOR:

WITNESSES.-

Q Paul Vim 0111 M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE of one-half to Jane H.

Gates, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application February 1, 19-36, Serial No. 61,907

1 Claim.

This invention relates to draw-knives such as are used to strip bark from trees, to shapearticles of wood and the like, etc.

Draw-knives of the usual construction have rigid unyielding blades, and are therefore not altogether suitable for the trimming or shaping of rounded surfaces.

The main object of my invention is toobviate the drawback to which attention has just been directed, which desideratum I attain, as hereinafter more fully disclosed, through provision of a draw-knife wherein the blade is fashioned from relatively thin metal capable of being flexed for adaptation of the knife to the trimming or shaping of rounded surfaces.

Another object of my invention is to provide a draw-knife, which, in addition to having the above attributes, will cut both on the draw and the push strokes.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description and the attached drawing, wherein Fig. I illustrates a draw-knife with a curved flexible blade conveniently embodying my invention in one form.

Fig. II is a view of the knife as it appears when looking from the bottom of Fig. I.

Fig; III is a cross sectional view of the flexible cutting blade of the knife taken as indicated by the arrows III-III in Fig. I, and drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. IV is a view showing how the draw-knife is used to trim or shape rounded surfaces; and

Fig. V is a view corresponding to Fig. I showing an alternative form of my draw-knife in which the blade is straight.

Referring first to the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. I-IV, I indicates the blade of the draw-knife which in this instance is of narrow curved configuration in plan, like a sabre, said blade being fashioned from thin flexible hardened strip metal with sharp cutting bevels 2 and 3 along its opposite longitudinal edges. Riv- 5 eted or otherwise secured to opposite ends of the blade I are angular shank members 4 and 5 for the grasp handles 6 and l which may be of the usual construction.

By virtue of being double edged, the draw- 1 knife will cut when moved in either direction relative to the object being operated upon. Moreover, due to the flexibility of its blade I the knife can be adapted to the cutting of curved or rounded surfaces after the manner shown in Fig. 15 IV. For stripping or peeling the trunks or limbs of trees, it can be flexed into conformity to the tree over a considerable are, by means of the handles 6, I, and held flexed as it is moved along the tree. The degree of flexure can, of course, 29 be varied as the curvature of the tree bole varies along its length.

The alternative form of draw-knife shown in Fig. V is constructed exactly like the first described embodiment except that its thin, flexible, 25 narrow blade I0 is straight. In order to obviate the necessity for repetitive description all the elements in Fig. V having their counterparts in Figs. I-IV are identified by numerals each increased by ten over those previously employed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A tree-bark stripping draw-knife comprising a narrow, flexible blade with sharpened edges, adapted to flex into conformity to a tree over a considerable arc, and handles attached to. the blade ends for thus flexing it and moving it along the tree, while held flexed, to remove the bark.

PAUL V. HAYFORD. 

